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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

One of the places Ellen and I went on Friday was to check out my favorite Tulip Tree, Liriodendron tulipifera. I still haven't managed to get there at the right time to bring you the blossoms, but here are the lovely leaves.

Here's the wonderful conical shape of the tree when it grows in the open. However, it's usually tucked into a forest edge.

Here is one of the reasons it gets its common name. The leaves are shaped very much like a silhouette of a tulip.

Isn't this bud fun? It looks like a sprouting baby garden plant. That would technically be called a cotyledon. It's a new leaf growing out of that cluster of leaves.

And it's a native American tree. The wood is soft, and used a lot for furniture- usually for the insides of drawers. Maggie just says, "It sure makes some nice green shade. Nice walk, Mom and Ellen!"

These are one of my favorite trees...even out in CA. They were planted all around the apartments where I grew up and they are used in landscaping around our town. Your picture with their au naturale form makes me like them even more. Need to plant a few at my house still...